A monster tuna caught off Japan has turned heads at a Tokyo fish market, where the 445 kilogram (981 pound) bluefin -- the biggest caught here since 1986 -- sold for 3.2 million yen (36,700 dollars). Decades of overfishing have seen global tuna stocks crash, pushing some Western nations to call for a trade ban on endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna. (AFP/Jiji Press)

1. Marinate tuna tail in soy sauce, calamansi, onion and pepper for about an hour. 2. Wrap in aluminum foil and steam. 3. After steaming, deep fry over medium heat until crispy. 4. Garnish with fried garlic if desired. 5. You can also serve with a soy sauce with chili on the side

Years ago, when I first got married, I went on a Bahamas honeymoon ocean cruise with my new wife. During the morning, a lot of passengers would stand on the aft deck and throw scraps of food to the tuna who would follow the ship as long as they could keep up. One day me and my wife decided to join them. To make a long story short, my wife, who was pretty well lathered up with sunscreen, threw some food out to the tuna- and her wedding ring slipped off and went flying out to sea with the scraps. The ring cost eleven thousand bucks! Needless to say, I was ready to strangle her, but I eventually calmed down and forgave her. Fast forward 16 years later and me and the missus decided to take a second honeymoon down to the Bahamas again. One afternoon, we went to one of those native seafood places on one of the islands for lunch, and my wife ordered a tuna fish sandwich. Well, she takes bite out of the sandwich and all of a sudden you hear this loud crunch. She looks down and suddenly this amazed look crosses her face as she realizes she just bit into- her own finger! Oh brother, I was ready to strangle her again. That was the last straw. We were divorced the next day.

16
posted on 07/17/2010 3:37:25 PM PDT
by Krankor
(Slow down, you move too fast. You got to make the morning last.)

These are hugh fish, a guess here, they cut the tails off so the crew doesn’t get ripped up as the catches are reeled in and hauled aboard and processed. a 900 pound fish could do some damage flopping around..

Nice pic too , Thanks! wonder what ya use for bait for these guys? ;-)

The tail is cut off while the fish is still twitching to bleed it out, the rectum is cored and all of the guts pulled up and out the gill openings, then a saw wire is inserted the length of the spine starting at the head to kill any nerves that would cause the muscles to twitch. Lastly, one fin is cut off and the tuna is laid on that side only. The little blood left in the carcass settles to the side that is down and the meat above is extra white. That is the difference between sushi grade tuna and cat food.

When it comes to halibut the big 300 lb. barn doors taste like crap compared to the smaller ones. I know that can’t totally be the case with these tuna or they wouldn’t be selling for the prices they are but do the big ones really taste better?

When the tune gets to the market, the buyers insert a hollow sampling tube down into the fish. The most desired meat is the white meat(not really white until cooked, but free of blood)and the blood meat is closest to the floor. To get the $35.00/lb+ prices the tunas(blue)have to be meticulously prepped immediately after catching, and generally have someone to certify the procedure if they are going to the Japanese market.

I have seen fishermen off of North and South Carolina ruin a nice catch of yellow fins by not processing them properly and drop the price from around $5.00/lb to less than $1.00. That was twenty years ago, but I remember then that big blues sold for as high as $35.00/lb with buyers waiting at the docks to ship them in Styrofoam caskets directly to Japan.

No. It is the age of the fish that makes it more appealing to the Japanese. It has more god like spiritual ora to it from the age. I don’t know if I said it right, but something like that. I fish bluefin for a living.

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